Mano Thevar

Chef at Thevar** (Singapore)

Mano Thevar was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia, a city renowned for its rich culinary heritage and diverse flavours. From a young age, he was drawn to cooking thanks to the influence of his family: his mother and grandmother prepared traditional Indo-Malaysian dishes, sparking his passion for the home-cooked flavours and ingredients of his heritage. He began his professional training in high-end Western kitchens, working as a chef de partie at Guy Savoy (now closed) in 2011. He then moved to Europe to hone his technique at the Dutch restaurant Pure C, before returning to Singapore to join the kitchen of the award-winning restaurant Waku Ghin.

In 2018, he decided to open his own restaurant: Thevar. There, he combines his Malay and Indian roots with his European training and a touch of Japanese influence, using premium ingredients to reinterpret traditional South Indian cuisine in a creative and contemporary way.

In 2021, Thevar received its first Michelin star, and in 2022 it earned its second, establishing itself as one of the region's most outstanding restaurants.